Jacked - The Complete Series Box Set (A Lumberjack Neighbor Romance)

by Claire Adams

  "You would?" he said hopefully.

  "I would, but we can't just pick up again like nothing happened," I said.

  "I know. I agree. I feel like I ruined our last date. I want to take you out," he told me.

  I bit my lip, remembering the night that everything fell apart. He had told me to get out of his life, and I had. What had been his trigger that night? I still didn't know. Something I did know was I wasn't making the same mistake twice. My guard was up nice and high. It wasn't going down unless I was sure it was safe.

  "I will go with you, on condition that Makani and Keno can come, too."

  "What?" she said, "I can't come on a date with you."

  "Fine. Keno will be there, too," Nate said quickly.

  "Whoa. I didn't agree to this," he said, looking at Nate.

  "I can’t come if it’s just the two of us,” I said.

  “Makani,” Nate said plaintively, looking at her. “I wouldn’t ask you to do anything for me unless it was extremely important.” She sighed looking at him, then at me.

  “I’m doing this for Abby, not for you,” she said firmly. “I’ll come if Keno does,” she said. Yes, I thought. This was good. They could finally talk, as well. The three of us looked at Keno expectantly.

  “You owe me, big time,” he said to Nate. Nate clapped him on the back, relieved.

  “Thanks, man. Tomorrow night?” he asked me. I nodded. We had a date.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Nate

  "I can't do this, man," Keno said, stopping beside me. I stopped and turned to look at him. We were walking down the lamp-lit trail to Abby's house on the beach.

  "Come on, we talked about this."

  "I can't do it. I can't talk to her."

  "Abby won't talk to me unless you're there. I promised her that it would be both of us."

  "You promised her. I had nothing to do with this."

  "You can’t tell me you don't want to see Makani," I said.

  "I do, but what the hell am I supposed to say to her?"

  "The truth. Just be honest. That's all she wants."

  "I don't want to hear the reason why she left," he said.

  "What? Why wouldn't you want to know?"

  "Why would I do that to myself? It wouldn't change anything."

  "Yes, it would. If you let her tell you, then you can do something about it," I said. "How are things between you supposed to change if you won't even talk to her?"

  "I want to help you, man, but I can't take her walking away from me twice," he said. I sighed, shaking my head.

  "Look at your options. You don't go in there, you'll never get her back. That's done. Over. If you do, then you can stop wondering what might have happened if you hadn’t." Keno ran his hands through his hair, obviously stressed. "This might be it. Your last chance. If you do, then it's on you."

  "Why did I let you get me into this?" he asked himself out loud.

  "I'm not letting you get out of talking to her," I said.

  "You only brought me here today because you want Abby back."

  "Abby asked for both of you to be there. She didn't have to. She could have just asked for her friend to be there. She wouldn't do that unless she was trying to set the two of you up, too."

  Keno sighed. "When you were together, did she ever talk about Makani and me?"

  "Not really, but they're chicks, they definitely talk about the two of you. She wouldn't have asked for you to be here unless she wanted you to finally talk to Makani."

  "You don't understand, Nate," he said.

  "What is there to understand? You want her? Go get her."

  "I was ready to marry that girl. We were talking about a future together. I wanted her to be my wife. One day we're talking about it, and the next day she's gone, and she doesn't even tell me why."

  "That sucks. I used to be married, I know what it's like when you lose someone you've loved for a long time," I said. "But you can get her back now. Just talk to her. Tell her you still love her."

  "This is the last time I'm ever doing you a favor," he said. He didn't sound angry. I knew he was just nervous.

  "It'll be fine. Come on," I said, leading the way back down the trail to Abby's place. She lived past the luau grounds, right on the beach. The house was the only one there, so it was hard to miss. It looked small. A wooden cabin on stilts with a little porch in the back. We climbed up onto the porch, and I knocked at the door, feeling a little nervous myself.

  Fucking finally we could stop the bullshit and we could just be together, if she wanted us to, that was. Fuck, I hoped she did. I'd missed that girl. I wanted to be with her. It didn't matter anymore, any of it — the band, LA, my ex. I might as well leave if I wasn't going to be with her.

  She opened the door and smiled at us. She looked amazing. Her hair was loose and wavy around her shoulders, and she was wearing the dress that I had gotten her.

  "Hey, guys," she said sweetly. Keno leaned in and hugged her. I didn't because that was not what I wanted to do to her in that dress. She probably wanted to take it slow, though. She had asked for a double date. I hoped this would be the last one we had if the reason she had wanted one was because she was scared of being alone with me.

  "Hey, Keno, Makani's already inside." He nodded and walked past her into the house.

  "Abby, you look beautiful," I said.

  "Thanks. You look good, too."

  "I'm happy you decided to keep the dress."

  "I had to; we never got to finish what we started when I put it on last time," she said. She smirked, and right then, I hated Makani and Keno for being with us tonight. "Come in," she said, moving aside so I could walk through the door. I had never been to her place before. It wasn't far from the resort at all. It comforted me a little that she was actually so close to me.

  The place was small, but looked cozy. Everything sort of blended into one big room with no real walls or anything separating areas of the house. Makani had sat on an armchair in the living area, and Keno was on the couch. They weren't saying anything to each other. I held Abby's arm, pulling her back gently so I could ask her something.

  "What's up?" she asked, turning to face me.

  "Hey, Keno's been really nervous about tonight. He's in love with Makani and really wants her back. I told him that that was the reason you asked them both to come," I whispered.

  "She's been talking about him a lot lately, too."

  "Was that why you agreed to let me come over?" I asked, suddenly a little insecure.

  "No. I mean, yes. But it wasn't the whole reason," she said, smiling. "You were right about what you said about our last date. I'd really like a do-over. Makani and Keno... They need one, too."

  "He was shitting bricks on the way over here thinking about what to say to her."

  "Hey, what are you guys doing over there? You asked us to come so you could ignore us?" Makani called from where she was sitting.

  "We were just grabbing some drinks," Abby said, taking my arm and pulling us into her small kitchen. She pulled two bottles of beer out of the fridge, followed by a bottle of wine. She asked me to grab some glasses out of a cabinet as she opened the bottle.

  "Thank you for giving me another chance to do this right, Abby," I said. She looked up at me, holding the bottle of wine.

  "Right after I said you could come, I almost called you to cancel," she said.

  "Why?" I asked. Don't let it be because she regrets what we did together, I thought.

  "I don't do this, Nate. You're the first person I've been brave enough to give a chance. I just remember feeling what I felt after we stopped talking and thinking I was just setting myself up again."

  "You're not," I said quickly. I held both of her hands; they were cold from the bottles. "I hate myself for what I did to you, but I want a chance to make it right. Just let me show you that letting me back in isn't a mistake. Let me start with tonight." She looked up at me, biting her lip.

  "I just need to know one thing," she said.
>
  "What? Anything," I said, dead serious.

  What did she want to know, because I wouldn’t hesitate to tell her. She knew things about me that nobody else knew. That stuff about Kirsten that I hadn't wanted to say before? I'd tell her anything. Everything. She was trusting me again — I wasn't fucking hiding anymore.

  "Have you used since the last time we went out together?" she asked.

  "No. Nothing. I'm one hundred percent clean," I said. "Twenty-eight days."

  "That's amazing, Nate. I'm so happy for you," she said excitedly.

  "It was you, you know. If you hadn't stopped me that night when I was throwing up, I'd still be using."

  "Don't sell yourself short, Nate. If you really wanted to do it, then you would have."

  I shook my head. "No Abby. You-"

  "What happened with those drinks?" Makani's voice cut me off as she walked into the kitchen with Keno behind her. She stopped, noticing my hands, still holding Abby's. "Are we interrupting?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

  "No, we were just joining you. Want to grab the drinks?" Abby asked. Keno took one beer, and I took the other. Both the girls wanted wine. We walked back into the living area. Abby sat in the armchair so the three of us took the couch. Makani and Keno sat on either side of me.

  "What did you guys talk about when we were gone?" Abby asked Makani and Keno.

  "Mostly just waited for you to get back," Keno said.

  "That would have been a perfect time for you two to sneak away somewhere to be alone," I said to him.

  "You don't invite people on a double date to split up," Makani complained.

  "This is the first time we've all been together and talked like this, isn't it?" Keno mused.

  "The three of us have done this many times. Nate's the newbie," Makani said.

  "Am I being jumped into your gang?" I asked, smiling.

  "You're from the mainland; you can't join," Makani said, teasing me.

  "So is Abby," I complained, not really knowing whether that was true or not. I'd never actually asked her where she had been born, I realized.

  "She's an honorary islander. You're a tourist," she said.

  "Abby, help me out here," I said to her, laughing.

  "I think a nice game will help break the ice between us," she said smiling. "Truth or dare."

  "We can't play that; we're adults," Makani said.

  "Makani, I dare you to swap seats with Nate," Abby said to her, smirking, obviously egging her on.

  "I pick truth," she said to her friend, crossing her arms.

  "Tell us what your first impression was of Nate when you met him," Keno said out of the blue. She glanced at him before looking at me.

  "I thought you were cute," she said, shrugging. That got Keno's attention.

  "Are you serious?" he asked her.

  "You wanted an answer. That was it. Truth or dare?"

  "Tell me why you left me," he said to her. This was the most intense I had ever seen him.

  "You've never known what I wanted," she said spitefully.

  "Guys, now is not the time," I said, standing.

  "Isn't that why you got us here together? So we would talk?" Keno demanded.

  "Keep talking like that, and you'll get yourself kicked out," I told him.

  "Makani and I are going outside; come join us when you're done," Abby said, standing. She took Makani's hand, and they left by the back door.

  "What the fuck is wrong with you, Keno?" I asked angrily.

  "Have you and Makani been talking?" he asked suspiciously.

  "Do you fucking hear yourself? Get a grip."

  "I told you I couldn't do this," he said, slumping back into the sofa.

  "Just apologize to her — to both of them — and we can have a normal night," I said.

  "I shouldn't have asked her that," he sighed. "I'm just digging the hole deeper and deeper."

  "Yeah, you are. Now get up and go talk to her so you can fix this,” I said. He got up, and we went to the back door. I pushed it open, seeing Abby on the porch.

  “Where’s Makani?” Keno asked. Abby pointed towards the water. I could see a dark figure that I guessed was her. She looked like she was sitting on the sand right at the water’s edge.

  “She’s really upset. She was worried about what was going to happen tonight. If you’re going to be jealous and mean, then don’t go over there,” Abby said.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blown up like that.”

  “Don’t tell us. Tell her.” Keno looked out at Makani for a few seconds before walking down the porch steps and walking out towards the water to her.

  “Is she going to be okay?” I asked her.

  “She’ll be fine. I care about both of them a lot. I just hope they can smooth this over once and for all. Come on. They’ll join us when they’re ready.” I followed her back inside and shut the door behind me. She turned and surprised me by holding my face, kissing me. I held her around the waist, running my tongue along her lower lip, then into her mouth when she parted them.

  “What was that for?” I asked when we separated.

  “I’m sorry, too. I turned you away when you wanted to make amends, and that was wrong of me,” she said.

  “You had every right to be upset,” I said. She took one of my hands and held it in both of hers.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “Was that song you performed yesterday about me?” she asked coyly. I smiled.

  “Why would I do something like that?” I asked. She blushed.

  “I just thought… No, it’s dumb,” she said, embarrassed. I chuckled, cupping her face so she’d look up at me.

  “I wrote it after Keno convinced me that I was being an idiot for not trying to be with you while I was still here. Did you like it?” I asked. She nodded, smiling.

  I turned my head hearing the door open. Makani and Keno walked in quietly. I saw his hand on her back, which he dropped once they were inside. Something had gone right.

  “Is everything okay?” Abby asked Makani.

  “Everything’s great,” she said, smiling. “I see everything’s great here, as well.”

  “We were waiting for you guys,” Abby said, leading everyone back to the living room. Keno and Makani sat together and I sat on the couch closest to Abby.

  “By the looks of things, we should have taken our time,” Makani said.

  “Nate was just telling me about the song he wrote for me,” Abby said, smirking. That got everyone started. The tension completely died, and everyone was laughing and drinking in Abby’s small living room. Keno and Makani got closer and closer as the night wore on, his arm going around her shoulder, or him kissing her when they thought we weren’t looking.

  At some point, Makani announced she was going to head home. Keno said he would do the same thing, right after her, agreeing that he needed an early night, too. Yeah right, they’d be on top of each other before they even made it back to the city. He winked at me on his way out the door, following Makani out.

  I nodded, approvingly. I knew he was sealing the deal. Now it was my turn. We were finally alone. I’d been thinking about this for weeks.

  Abby closed the door, locking it. She turned around to face me.

  "How much do you bet one of them isn't going to make it home tonight?" she asked, smiling. She was happy for her friends.

  "About the same that I'd bet I'm not making it back to my suite tonight," I said. She bit her lip and looked down. "Do you want me to leave?" I asked. She shook her head silently.

  "Are you tired?" she asked me.

  "Show me where you sleep," I told her. She walked towards me slowly, taking one of my hands. She pulled me towards her bed, stopping right in front of it. She turned and sat down, facing me. Her legs were crossed, which raised the dress even higher up her legs. "I'm so glad you wore that tonight," I said appreciatively.

  "Are you? I don't know. It's a little tight," she said.

 
"Yeah?"

  "A little uncomfortable, actually," she said smirking. It fit her like a glove, but she was up to something. I went with it.

  "Then take it off."

  "I want you to take it off for me," she said seductively.

  Her eyes were hot, and I knew right then that was my in. I walked over to her. She pulled her legs onto the bed so that she was kneeling and turned her back to me. I flipped her hair over her shoulder and pulled the zipper down her back. I tugged it down over her hips, and she sat on the bed so I could pull it the rest of the way down her legs. She scooted backward up the bed.

  "Come here," she whispered.

  I climbed onto the bed after her. She got up on her knees and pushed me onto my back, straddling me. She slowly went down the front of my shirt, undoing the buttons one at a time. I tried to sit up and touch her, but she pushed me back down, not letting me lead. It was hot. Different, but still incredibly sexy. She raked her nails down my bare chest and abs when she had gotten my shirt open.

  I never let girls top me, but Abby with that look on her face was enough for me to change my mind. I watched her pop the button of my jeans and pull the zipper down. She tugged them down low enough for my cock to spring free. Our eyes locked, and it was over. I was hers tonight.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Abby

  I covered the head of his penis with my mouth and sucked. He felt hot and smooth against my tongue. His head fell back on the bed, and he let out a ragged breath. Positive feedback, I guessed. I had never done this with anyone before. I had never really wanted to. It felt like something really personal to do with someone. I wanted to please him; I wanted to own his pleasure.

  I wrapped my hand around the root and sucked again, trying to get a little more of his length into my mouth. It wasn’t easy; he was big and thick. He tasted like musk and salt. I felt his hand get lost in my hair, fisting a handful. I concentrated on the tip again, using my tongue to lick around it and over the eye. He groaned, and I felt a soft tug at my hair. I jerked my hand up and down and sucked, hollowing my cheeks out.

  “Stop,” he said hoarsely. I sat up, worried I’d done something wrong. He pulled me up so I was back on his lap and sat up to kiss me deeply. His hands went around my back to snap my bra open. He squeezed my breasts roughly, feeling them in his hands. I shuddered when he pinched my nipples. I had missed this.